Yu Yu Hakusho: Soeki Saga
by Flyboy 62
Summary: Hiei was once the member of a ruthless terrorist unit. Emerging from the shadows, they plan to eradicate the entire human race. Will Hiei be able to fight those he once loved for the sake of a race he despises? And how is Botan connected? HieiBotan
1. Chapter 1: The Samurai

**Disclaimer: **I in no way, shape or form own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

**Woot. I'm back from the dead, and hoping to get back into the writing thing. My other stories have been deleted due to them sucking a big one, so you may notice ideas from them in this story as I'm planning on tryin to make this a super duper big awesome buffet of greatness story. It'll follow the main story line of my old story "Soeki Saga", but will have one or two side stories which should be kick ass, one involving Hiei's past in that brief period of time in which we have no idea what happened, just that he commited "crimes". Chea chea. Here's ze first chapter of the tale.**

**Yu Yu Hakusho: Soeki Saga**

_Clash!_

_Shiing!_

_Skeesh!_

The sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the dimly lit room of the dojo, two dark silhouettes moving about as if they were performing some sort of brilliant dance, their blades moving swiftly through the air and meeting time and time again. For almost two hours now they had been locked in this duel, and fatigue was finally beginning to make his appearance in full stride.

He spread throughout their legs, weighing them down and making it harder for them to step and leap. He infested their arms, making the task of wielding their swords all the more difficult. He moved about on their flesh, sucking the fluids from them as their sweat dropped to the floor beneath them as they moved.

But there were two places that the parasite could not breach: their minds and their hearts. Both their focus and their will to win drove these two warriors on, continuing their battle despite the physical exhaustion threatening to overwhelm them.

Hiei ducked beneath another of his opponent's slashes, feeling the cool wind following the enemy blade through the air as it lapped down against his head. In an instant he brought his own katana up for a quick parry, blocking yet another attack from his kimono clad foe.

The man was a tall, almost double Hiei's short height. Even in the presence of only the small, dwindling candlelight his grotesque scars could be seen, adorning his face along with the wrinkles of old age, several even going down through his eyes, destroying his vision. His hair was short and a light blonde, looking as though it had been bleached by the ancient looking and blind samurai.

The four of them had all entered the massive complex together. Hiei, Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan. They're mission had been to capture a thief, Ronin(the man with which Hiei was "dancing") who had entered the Rekai and stole a vial. What was in the vial the Rekai Tantei were not told, though Prince Koenma made certain to let them know it was of utmost importance that it be retrieved.

Ronin, though he could easily acquire great wealth through his trade, possessed a love for gambling. This is what brought them to this massive Makai gambling den, where even now over a hundred demons were placing wagers. It had been almost two easy cornering the thief…..

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_**Earlier……**_

Botan breathed deeply, trying desperately to maintain her composure as she dropped the pair of die yet again, swiftly bringing down the wooden cup on top of them, holding in there. A bead of sweat formed on her brow as she did her best not to make eye contact with any of the demons sitting across from her at the massive table.

Shouts of "Even!" and "Odd!" rang out from all around, the gamblers sliding forward their wagers towards her. Yusuke and Hiei both sat at the table, as did Ronin, while the infamous Youko Kurama remained in the shadows to Botan's left, her guardian clad in common Makai clothing, ready to unleash his rose whip should any demon try to overwhelm her.

Slowly she raised the wooden cup and looked down at the dice. A four and a two, which together made a total of six.

"Even." She said aloud, earning both shouts of joy and anger as she slid back the victors' bets along with their winnings. She was quite pleased with how well she was holding up this façade of a gambling official. The real one was currently knocked out, tied up, gagged and hanging up above the rafters by a massive vine, firmly holding him in place at the bidding of Kurama.

"Godammit! I can't get a fucking break!" Shouted an exasperated Yusuke, throwing his hands up in the air before rubbing his temples with them. That was the thirteenth round he had lost, and the money he had been given by the prince of Rekai was wearing thin.

"Hn. We can't all be as fortunate as I am." Hiei snorted next to him, collecting his winnings from Botan as if he had never seen her before in his life. It wasn't like that was hard, seeing as how he normally just ignored the blue haired ditz anyways. Unlike Yusuke, he had won every single round so far, a feat that only he and Ronin had managed to accomplish. His eyes slowly moved to their target as the samurai slowly collected his winnings as well, his blue kimono sleeves drooping low and sliding over the table.

_"He's gotta be using his freakin' third eye. No way in hell is anyone THAT lucky... and this game can't have anything to do with skill, it's not like poker!"_ Yusuke thought angrily to himself as he eyed Hiei's winnings jealously, his right eye twitching a bit. Then again, Hiei wasn't one to cheat. At anything. Yusuke seriously doubted that his warped honor code would allow it.

Once again Botan dropped the dice, watching Hiei intently as she brought the cup down upon them again. This couldn't be his first time playing this game, that much was sure. She had never thought Hiei to be the type to gamble often though.

"Even." The fire demon said almost instantly, his expression completely stoic and calm as he watched Ronin.

"Even." He voiced as well, causing Hiei's eyes to narrow for a brief moment. Botan wondered why his expression has suddenly changed when her thoughts were interrupted by Yusuke and the other gamblers.

"Yea, even! Definitely even!" They shouted, copying the bets of the two current table leaders. Botan sighed and lifted the cup, looking down at the dice. Three and one.

"Even." She announced, frowning as Yusuke fisted the air in triumph. Cheating off of Hiei like that, shame on him. She would expect that from the lowly Makai gamblers but not from the spirit detective of Rekai! Shaking her head, she dropped the die again and covered them with the cup, beginning a new round.

Kurama watched Hiei intently. Though his face was again an emotionless mask, something shown in his crimson eyes.

"Even." Hiei spoke once more, looking to Ronin. Needless to say, the other gamblers all called even as well, mimicking the koorime.

"Odd." Ronin spoke, his voice deep and raspy, his expression calm. Botan gave a questioning look before raising the cup, her eye widening. Five and four. Nine.

"Odd." She announced, looking as Hiei and finding herself surprised at the look of satisfaction that seemed to play his features. Groans arose from all around the table, demons smacking their foreheads with their palms and giving Hiei the finger.

"What the hell, Hiei?! What happened?!" Yusuke demanded, getting right in the short swordsman's face.

"Nine rounds." Hiei answered, his expression and tone never faltering. Yusuke growled, grabbing him by the collar of his white scarf.

"What the fuck kind of answer is that?! Did you see how much money we just lost! That was a new playboy!" He shouted, the vein on his forehead bulging as his checks turned red.

"Hn. For the last nine rounds the samurai has been betting the same as I have been, placing his wager only after I have place mine." Hiei stated coolly, deciding to calm down the detective before he made a scene and blew their cover, "I wanted to test him. He passed. He's earned my sword." He finished, watching as Ronin suddenly rose from his seat, bowing in Botan's direction.

"My thanks, hostess." He said curtly, shoveling his winnings into a small sack and slowly walking off down a nearby hallway. Hiei suddenly looked to Yusuke calmly, sliding his money in the detective's direction.

"Keep yourself busy." He muttered, his face contorted in a look of disgust upon seeing the detective's eyes light up and begin to water.

"…Hiei…..I love-" He began only to be cut off by Hiei who grunted and stood, imitating Ronin by exiting the room, minus bowing to Botan. The blue haired diety bit her lip in anger.

_"The nerve of that man! I'm risking my life here and our ENEMY shows me more kindness than he does!" _She fumed mentally, dropping the die and beginning another round.

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Hiei followed the Samurai from the shadows, his feet making no sound as he stepped, every movement he made showboating his expertise in stealth. As they moved onwards, the rooms grew darker and darker. They seemed to be guest chambers for frequent visitors, meaning there was no doubt that the master thief was returning to his own.

Sure enough, Hiei found himself hiding behind the door frame of a large room. It was lit solely by candlelight. On the floor a large and comfortable futon lay outstretched, along with several articles of clothing scattered about around it, some of them belonging to those of the female anatomy.

Ronin stood facing a small candlelit shrine. It appeared to be a wooden post rising up from a small garden of Makai flowers with demonic symbols engraved upon it. Slowly he turned his head slightly to the right.

"You may enter, assassin." He stated calmly, not turning to face Hiei. The fire demon did not seem surprised to have been caught by his target. Not after his show at the gambling table. He locked his gaze on Ronin, his hand coming to rest on the hilt of his sheathed katana.

"It is not here, Jaganshi Hiei." He spoke suddenly, turning about in the dimly lit room. Strange, Hiei had not noticed a sword at his side before. This thief was fast.

"You mean the vial." He answered stoically, a frown forming on his lips. Ronin responded with a curt nod, his expression still dull.

"It has already been given to my superior, and from him to his contractor. I am afraid the transaction took place only moments before you entered the gambling den. Your timing is most unfortunate." The blind warrior explained, stepping out of his sandals slowly, "I had wondered when our paths would finally cross. I can honestly say that not a week passes in which I do not hear a tale of your great feats from my mentor. He still holds you in high regard, despite your disloyalty." He continued, a small smile starting to show. Hiei's brows furrowed. What the hell was the man rambling on about? It was not until Ronin said one more word that he understood.

"….. prince."

Hiei's façade came crumbling down then, a mix of emotions tearing through him as he suddenly drew his katana. He had not heard that name in so very, very long. He raised his blade, pointing it directly at Ronin.

"You are one of the Ookami?" Hiei questioned stepping forward. Ronind drew his sword then, tossing his scabbard aside.

"Your replacement." He answered, amusement in his voice. Hiei scowled, beginning to balance his wait for the impending duel. He knew the tenants, and retired or no, he was bound by honor to follow them.

"What are your terms?" He asked darkly, looking into the samurai's dead eyes.

"This is a fight to the death. Swords only. No mercy will be shown on either side." Ronin answered moving forward and swinging his blade. Hiei blocked, their swords sliding against each other as they held there for a moment in a meeting of brute force.

"Good man." Hiei murmured, spinning out and slashing at the blind man's hip…

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_**The Present….**_

His breathing was heavy, his face damp with sweat and his arms aching. How much longer could he hold? The samurai's speed was equal to his own if not greater, his skill with a blade the only thing keeping him alive.

Hiei stepped back, twirling his katana and bringing it down in an arc, nipping Ronin's shoulder he sidestepped, some blood splashing upon the wooden sweat stained floor. The room was steaming with the heat given off by their bodies, fogging their vision slightly. Ronin showed no sign of pain and he leapt forward, readying to thrust his blade for another attack.

And that's when the fight came to an abrupt and unexpected halt. In the midst of their fray, the two failed to note the sounds of a struggle coming from outside of the room. The wall suddenly was torn down as a blue light engulfed Ronin, sending him flying backwards through the air.

"Spirit gun!" echoed throughout the room as Yusuke shouted, firing yet another blast in the thief's direction. Hiei's eyes narrowed in the detective's direction, a look of hate upon his face.

"Fool! It was my life to end!" He roared, turning to look through the smoke and debris at the fallen warrior. It seemed that Yusuke had indeed stolen his kill. Ronin's once beautiful silk kimono was now torn dirtied and burning. His already scarred skin bled from many wounds and was scorched black in most areas. The most notable wound was the one in his stomach, a large plank of wood jabbed clear through him, life fluid ebbing out freely as he gasped for air.

"Yusuke, what… by enma!" Botan suddenly cried having entered the room alongside Kurama and spotting the dying samurai. She turned away and cringed, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach as she covered her eyes, trying her hardest not to peek through her fingers.

"…..Jaganshi……. you fought…… beautifully…." Ronin murmured, his head falling limp then to the side as blood poured from his mouth and down his chin. Hiei scowled, running a hand over his forehead and removing some of the sweat there.

"Hiei, what the hell….?" Yusuke began, only to be silenced by a death glare from the fire koorime. Hiei moved over to his black cloak which lay on the ground, having been discarded along with his scarf during the fight. Moving for the door, he stopped next to Kurama. He scoffed then, looking at Botan and giving her a mocking look.

"And here I thought you were supposed to be the Grim Reaper, onna." He said, snatching her wrists and moving her hands from her eyes so she could no longer hide them, "Take in the sight and ferry him." He commanded, shoving her forward.

"What about the vial? Did you get it from him?" Asked Yusuke, looking about the destroyed room. Hiei grunted.

"It's gone." He answered bluntly. Kurama looked to him then, giving a questioning look.

"Were you able to learn to where it was sent?" He pressed, crossing his arms.

"To whomever paid the samurai to steal it. We will never get it now." He answered, looking off at knocked over candle on the floor.

"And why the hell is that?" Questioned Yusuke, scowling.

"You're dealing with professionals, detective." Hiei put simply, looking up at the teen, "And were you ever to find them, you'd find yourself skinned alive even faster than it takes you to finish with your woman." He finished, smirking at the end. Yusuke scowled.

"At least I HAVE someone to finish with!" He exclaimed defiantly, shaking his fist at Hiei, "Don't think I won't wipe the damn floor with you, tiny!"

"Filthy human."

"Shorty!"

"Idiot."

"Midget!"

"Greasy." Hiei snorted, gesturing to the detective's hair.

"Why you little…" Yusuke growled, stepping forward and getting ready to swing a haymaker just before Kurama stepped in.

"Yusuke, now isn't the time. We should report back to Koenma and tell him what has happened." He rationalized. Yusuke backed off, mumbling something about short people while Kurama looked to Botan, "Are you ready, Botan?" He asked politely. She nodded and stood, offering a small smile as she summoned a portal to the spirit world. Yusuke stomped through, followed suit by Kurama, which left Botan watching as Hiei stared at the corpse of Ronin.

"Ahem…" She coughed, trying to get his attention. No use. Well this wasn't akward at all. "Hiei? Are you alright?" She asked, stepped towards him. He looked to her, then back to the body, his face as stoic as ever.

"I'm fine." He answered, moving through the rift. Botan simply sighed and stared after him, shaking her head.

_"I'll never understand him."_ She noted mentally, giving a small pout as she disappeared as well.

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**Yeacht, that's chapter 1. I hope ya liked it cuz it took long as HELL to write. Be sure to leave a review…. Cuz yanno, reviews are like cookies. You don't always get the winner, like a chocolate chip, sometimes you get a crappy oatmeal, but you take the good you take the bad and there you have… the facts of life. Leave a review or God will kill a kitten.**

**-With love,**

**Me**


	2. Chapter 2: Soeki

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. I've been ****keepin**** my fingers crossed that the people who've read the story like it, so I'll keep running with it ****til**** I get flames I guess.**

_**Chapter 2**_

"So what you're telling me is that you not only resorted to using unnecessary force to achieve your objective, but that you ALSO failed to retrieve the vial?" Questioned a toddler sitting behind a large desk, sucking on his binky viciously as his brow quivered.

"We WOULD have been able to get it if you had sent us sooner." Yusuke growled, sneering at the pint sized ruler of Spirit World, whose face was beginning to take on the shade of a tomato, "Relax, Koenma. Hiei said that the ninja guy told him that he had sold it to some other punk. It couldn't be that hard to find him, eh?"

"Hiei also voiced that he doubted our odds of successfully locating this vial." Kurama interrupted from the plush red chair he sat in. Koenma scowled.

"Well then, If Hiei is such an expert on this particular mission….. WHY ISN'T HE HERE?" He asked loudly, looking at the four in front of him. Hiei had left the group after passing through the portal without a word to anyone.

"Heh, I'm not surprised. Shorty probably had to go kill a poor defenseless little kitten or something." Kuwabara scoffed before scratching the back of his head, "What was in that bottle thingy anyways?"

"I had HOPED that this problem could be resolved without this information getting out, but…." Koenma trailed off, moving the binky about faster in his mouth as he crossed his tiny arms over his chest, "As long as it stays within this room, I think it's important that you know." He finished, picking a small remote up off of his desk and pointing it at a large black screen behind Botan, pressing the big red button on it and making images appear.

"About 50 years ago my father, the great King Enma, decided that another precaution needed to be taken to ensure the safety of both the Human and Spirit Worlds from the Demon World." He started, pushing the button again. Pictures of grotesque looking insects and broken down DNA molecules replaced what had been on the screen originally, "In his wisdom, he decreed that the Spirit World was in need of better fighters than just the Special Defense Team and the Spirit Detectives. Therefore, he ordered the construction of a unit of _super soldiers_…. Warriors who would be able to fend off even the most powerful S class demons."

"Our researchers looked for a way to create this kind of fighter for 10 years before they find their solution in a very rare parasitic bug which dwells within the deepest pits of the Demon World. They are called _Soeki_." Once again, he pushed the crimson button, "This unique creature was originally believed to be able to form a symbiotic bond with its host, taking control of only reflexes and instinct while the host maintained all other forms of control. This Soeki would merge with the host's tissues and muscles, resulting in a super strong soldier. Not to mention that this parasite also possesses an extraordinary amount of spirit energy that would also be used to benefit the fighter. "

"Symbi…. What?" Kuwabara asked, narrowing his eyes at the screen.

"Symbiotic. Think of your comic book Spiderman and the villain Venom. That gunk he's covered in would be a symbiotic entity." Koenma explained. Kuwabara grinned, shoving his fist in the air.

"Oh yea! I freaking love comics, I should have known that!"

"Shut the hell up and watch the movie, Kuwabara." Yusuke grunted, "Keep goin, tiny."

Koenma frowned, pressing the button again. Pictures of deformed hosts shot up all over the screen. One has at least seven arms and his midsection was swollen far beyond normal size. Another's head was completely missing, replaced by a large tentacle covered in veins. Botan gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth while Yusuke and Kuwabara went bug eyed.

"What the hell?!" Yusuke exclaimed, leaning forward in his chair. Koenma nodded.

"As you can see, things did not go anything like we had planned. Rather than sharing control with the host, the parasite reacted by taking complete control and dominating their mind and body. The result were S class freaks of nature which had to be poisoned to death via gassing the laboratories in which they were spawned." Koenma stated, leaning back, "All of the Soeki infested soldiers were put down before they had a chance to kill any of our people. But that is only one of the two scenarios."

Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Two scenarios?" He questioned. Koenma frowned, clenching his fists.

"Yes. In those trials the Soeki were introduced to demon hosts." He explained, pausing to take a breath, "In another trial….. we experimented with humans."

"You put those things in innocent HUMANS?! I thought you were here to protect them!!" Kuwabara exclaimed, scooting away from Koenma's desk.

"We only used mortals who were nearing death, and they were completely voluntary. However, they did not react the same to the Soeki as the demons." The toddler continued, pressing the button one last time. Pictures of human corpses popped up, each of them seeming to have been killed by a bomb detonated inside of their bodies, "Within 24 hours, the Soeki will kill both itself and the average human adult it is fused with in the fashion you see here. We estimate that for a child or senior, it would take approximately 12."

He closed his eyes then, rubbing his temples as his voice grew quieter.

"That vial I sent you to retrieve… contains the last Soeki larvae known to be in existence." He finished. Yusuke and Kuwabara were on their feet in an instant, towering over the infant.

"Why the hell would you keep that around?!"

"Thanks for fucking telling us!"

"You're sick!"

"What were you thinking?!"

"It wasn't my call……" Koenma muttered, "It was my Dad's. While it killed the humans, the demons(though they lost control) truly sky rocketed with power. He said he didn't want to rule it out of the question."

"As a last resort in case of an Armageddon." Kurama nodded, "You would infuse the parasite with a demon under Spirit World's control and let them go out and kill everything. A truly desperate maneuver."

"It doesn't matter now. We have no idea where the parasite is, who has it or what its being used for." Koenma sighed in an exasperated manner, leaning his face into his hands. Yusuke and Botan exchanged glances before looking to Kurama.

"I believe our answer may be easier to find than you think."

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_"I see. So they exiled you for being the sole male in a kingdom of women?" Questioned a man sitting kneeling before a small bonfire, his stern dark green eyes locked on __Hiei__ as if they were staring right through him and into his soul. He was tall and lean, clad in a black trench coat and boots. As his hands neared the fire, several demonic tattoos became visible on them despite the dark of the wilderness night about them._

_"__Hn__…."A younger looking __Jaganshi__ answered, looking off into a dense spot of trees to their left. The other man just chuckled, sitting back on his rear and scratching his short facial hair, which aided in his overall somewhat suave appearance. He looked quite well groomed._

_Hiei__ gave him a glare, a low growl escaping his lips. The man gave an apologetic smile, leaning back in towards the fire._

_"Forgive me, __Hiei__. It's just that in any other case that would have made you __**royalty**_. You should have been _**worshipped**__, not banished…." He trailed off, __eyes watching the dancing of the flames. Silence ensued for several minutes before __Hiei__ spoke._

_"It means nothing to me, Master…. Without their scorn, I would never have reached the level of power I wield tonight." He said, earning a small snort from the other, who reclined and relaxed almost completely, still watching the flames._

_"I've heard of this __koorime__ village…. Heartless wenches…" He murmured, locking gazes with __Hiei__, "I also know of a way in which we could learn of its location."_

_Hiei__ leaned forward, having almost jumped clear out of his skin. His hand unconsciously wrapped around the hilt of his sheathed katana. The man nodded._

_"One day… once we've recovered your gem… I will take you there." He swore, his voice deep and rough, "We'll purge the __Makai__ of those inbred swine." He finished, laying back. __Hiei__ could hardly move__. The thought of returning home…. He almost missed it when his master had given him his first "nickname"._

_"……Prince."_

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_**TWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!!!!!**_

Hiei's crimson orbs shot open as his hands immediately flew to his ears, clasping them in pain as the sound of a whistle ripped through his head and into his mind. He had only felt this particular pain once before.

"Onna!" He roared, losing his balance on the tree branch he had been sleeping on and falling to the ground below with a thud. Growling lowly as the screaming in his head came to a halt, he climbed slowly to his feet, delivering a death glare to the kimono clad woman floating on an oar before him.

"Woman, I suggest you flee now before I cut that dainty little head of ours from you shoulders so that you can never blow that infernal whistle again!" He threatened, growing even more annoyed upon seeing how it didn't seem to bug the blue haired ditz at all.

"Never underestimate the power of my magic whistle, Hiei!" Botan said cheerily, offering her famous smile. Oh how he wanted to slam that oar out from under her and watch her fall and break her neck, "Anywho, Koenma wants you to come with me back to Spirit World. Everyone else is already there since you're the only one who felt the sudden need to take off." She explained, scooting over on her oar and patting the spot beside her with her hand.

"Hn." Hiei scoffed, turning his back on her, "If the fox and the detective want to serve as lap dogs for the toddler, so be it. I however do not have time to waste on changing his diapers."

"Hiei, it's about the mission earlier!" Botan said, hovering around him so that he was facing her, "Koenma wasn't exactly…. _forthright_ with us." She added hesitantly, poking her two index fingers together. Hiei have her a glance then, frowning.

"Elaborate. Now."

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"Well look who decided to show up." Yusuke laughed, pointing to Hiei and Botan as they entered the room.

"Why does the shrimp's hair look so messed up?" Kuwabara whispered to the detective, oblivious to the fact that Hiei could hear him.

"Because the witch can't seem to control her broomstick with very much skill." He interjected, ignoring the death glare he was getting from Botan, "And when whoever is riding with her falls, she seems to think it a good idea to drag them through the air by their hair." He finished, straightening up his top.

"If you hadn't surprised me by kissing my neck, you pervert, I never would have-"

"For the final time, stop flattering yourself. If you could maintain a constant speed perhaps I wouldn't have flown forward!" Hiei glanced about to find all but Kurama, who was stifling a laugh, wide eyed and looking at them.

"Detective, if you think for even a moment that I…"

"Enough, Hiei. We've got more important things to deal with than your lack of skills as a lover." Koenma said, leaning forward and speaking again before Hiei had a chance to roar any threats at him, "I trust Botan has briefed you on the situation?"

Hiei scowled, stuffing his shaking fists into the pockets of his cloak.

"Hn. I am already repeating myself a second time when I believe I was quite clear the first. I will not suffer to say it again. You will not find the mercenaries, nor will you find the buyer. Give up hope and pray that your stupidity doesn't come around to bite you in the ass." He answered, his stoic façade back in place. Koenma moved to speak, but Kurama managed to beat him to it.

"Surely with your history with these terrorists you know something that could benefit us." He spoke. Hiei frowned, his eyes narrowing at the redhead.

"How much have you shared with them fox?" He questioned, his voice cold.

"Only that you had a brief affiliation with Ookami and it has not been renewed for some time." Kurama answered calmly. Hiei scowled. He had hoped that Kurama would not have realized the specific mercenary group they had encountered. If only after his fight with the Samurai he had possessed more stamina, his emotions wouldn't have given it away.

"Hiei, we don't care, dude. That was then." Yusuke said, swinging an arm around the fire demon's shoulder, receiving a look of utmost hate.

"Remove your hand from my shoulder or I'll take it from you."

"Righto." He said quickly, removing his arm and crossing his arms.

"Believe me, my reasons for keeping my membership of the Ookami a secret was not out of concern for what you think of me, Urameshi." He stated cooly, taking a seat and crossing his legs.

"Come on then, Shorty! Just give us something to work with!" Kuwabara exclaimed angrily, ready to strike the shorter fighter. Hiei opened his mouth to insult him, but noticed the pleading look Botan gave him.

"_What the hell? My chest…."_ He thought. It didn't feel right. It didn't feel normal.

" If you're so eager to end your lives, then so be it." He said, looking to the Yusuke, "There is only one way I know of to get in contact with Ookami."

"And that is…?" Yusuke asked. Hiei smirked.

"Hn. Pack you're bags, Detective. You're going to Scotland."

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**And that's chapter 2. Hopefully you liked it. Drop a review whether you did or don't, maybe ****gimme**** some constructive criticism? Or you could just flame the hell ****outta**** me. Later, kids.**


	3. Chapter 3: Making Contact

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters.

**Yes! People are actually reading this story! **

**Thanks for the reviews.**

**Vhee****, I have actually never read the ****manga****, but I don't think that this past I'm giving ****Hiei**** is from a canon source. Since ****Hiei**** is supposedly around 200 years old, we obviously didn't see everything that he has done in the anime. I'm just throwing this into the blob of time between where he loses his tear gem and when he goes to ****Shigure**** for the ****Jagan**** implant. Hopefully that clears it up a bit.**

**Alright, here's the next chapter.**

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Yusuke took in a deep breath of the cool, moist Scottish air as the small group trudged along down the dirt road through the highlands. He frowned as he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth together as Kuwabara, for what must have been the 100th time, started complaining about his legs hurting again.

"Kuwabara, If you don't stop your bitching I swear to god I'll ram my fist right up your ass!" He shouted, glancing over his shoulder at the carrot top.

"Shut it, Urameshi! You and Kurama are freaks if you're not cramping up too! How long have we been out here?" He shot back, looking around angrily.

"We've only been on foot for about an hour now. I suspect it shouldn't be much further, judging by Hiei's directions." Kurama spoke, pointing straight ahead of them. Kuwabara and Yusuke's gaze followed his arm, "You see? The North Sea is already in sight."

"I still don't see why the shrimp couldn't just come with us. He always bails out like a little chicken…" Kuwabara mumbled, scowling while he kicked a rock. Yusuke rolled his eyes as he thought back to when they had come through the portal.

_"You will find Castle __Phian__ Northeast of Inverness and to the West of __Naim__. The abandoned fortress overl__ooks the North sea from a cliff." _Hiei had explained to the group. Though he had seemed stoic as ever, Yusuke could feel something was off about him. Maybe it was his stance. Or maybe it was that his voice hadn't sounded quite as collected as it normally did.

_"That is where you will find __MacDonwald__." _He had finished. Yusuke remembered the way his eyes seemed to be ripping through him.

_"Why don't you just come with, __shorty__? If you know so much about the guy, I bet you know how he fights too! Don't you? We can kick his ass easy, then!" _Yusuke remembered Kuwabara exclaiming, slamming his fist into an open palm. Hiei had snorted at that, turning his back on them.

_"__Hn__. I've told you all that you need to know. The rest you can figure out for yourselves." _

_"What are you, scared?!"_

_"__Kuwabara__, that's enough." _Botan said, interrupting the argument when she spotted Hiei's hand rested on the hilt of his katana, _"__Hiei__ has agreed to watch the fight with __Koenma__ and I back in Spir__it World. He'll be providing us with information as the mission moves along." _

_"Still don't see why he won't just come…."_

_"This is your world to save, oaf, not mine. Take some initiative and solve your own problems before dragging in those who aren't involved."_ Hiei said. The detective remembered the look he had sent Kurama's way just before he and Botan had left through a portal.

"There it is." Kurama spoke up, bring Yusuke back to the present. Dead ahead of them, overlooking the dark sea from a dangerous looking ledge, was a battle scarred citadel looming like a great shadow.

"Sure looks spooky enough." Kuwabara shivered. Yusuke smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"Finally. We can start kicking ass and taking names." He laughed, breaking into a run up the road, Kurama and Kuwabara moving to catch up.

-------------------------------------

The dark chamber was illuminated only by the dancing flames in the large stone fireplace. The shadows moved eerily along the walls, which was adorned with paintings and the remains of butchered creatures, both of this world and the demon world.

Sitting in a large, luxurious looking chair before the fire was a large, rough looking man clad in a kilt and simple plaid shirt. His hairy cheeks changed rapidly in size as he blew into a long pipe, which emerged from his massive orange beard and ran down into a bag from which several other pipes shot out. The music produced by the instrument moved about the entire complex, leaving not a single room nor corridor silent in its wake. The Scotsman did not stop playing even as the door to the very room in which he sat was suddenly kicked in.

"Alright, buddy! Go ahead and lay out on the floor and I won't have to blow that hairy head of yours right off your shoulders." Yusuke smirked, his index finger glowing as he aimed his spirit gun directly at the large man. His face drooped a bit once he got no response. Growling, he made ready to shoot the giant when he suddenly felt Kurama's hand on his shoulder. Stepping around him, the redhead cautiously flicked his wrist, allowing a vine to creep out from the sleeve of his pink garment and along the floor. Slowly it crawled up the side of the chair and, suddenly, shot forward, popping the bag of the instrument.

The air slowly wheezed out of the bag, causing Kuwabara to cover his ears and Yusuke to cringe.

"It's such an ugly sound!" The carrot top exclaimed, shutting his eyes tightly. As if trapped in slow motion, the man arose from his seat, turning about to face the intruders and dropping the pipes to the ground.

"Holy shit…" Yusuke muttered, now aiming his glowing finger upwards. The Scotsman's head was practically brushing up against the ceiling. He had to be at least 8'1"!

"Tell meh, lad." He spoke suddenly, his voice rough and savage sounding despite his accent. His eyes locked on Kurama, "Do ye 'ave no appreciation for eh good tune?"

"Killian MacDonwald, we would very much like for you to come with us back to the Spirit World for a meeting with Prince Koenma Daioh. He wishes for us to inform you that your cooperation will lighten your sentencing." The fox spoke, his vine returning to his hand and taking the form of a whip. The man scoffed, taking a step forward. Kuwabara almost fell flat on his ass as the ground shook.

"So… ye be the dogs of Spirit World, eh?" He laughed mockingly, scratching his massive beard. His eyes narrowed as he looked at each of the three, now frowning.

"And where be that hell spawned traitor that brought ye here? Not man enough to show 'is face?!" He questioned aloud, looking about through the shadows.

"Trust me, big guy. He's the least of your worries right now." Yusuke said, his spirit gun growing brighter now, "Now are we gonna do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

"The Highland way!" MacDonwald roared, moving forward and slamming his gigantic fist downwards. Yusuke sprang out of the way as the hand ripped through the floor, massive splinters of wood flying about them.

"Alright then! Eat THIS! SPIRIT GUN!" The detective shouted, firing a blast from his finger and hitting the Scotsman square in the chest, forcing him to stagger back. He ripped off his now scorched shirt, revealing his massive muscles to the small group.

"Boyo, I hope ye can do better than that." He growled, stepping towards the detective and grabbing him by the neck, hoisting him up and slowly crushing the life out of him.

"URAMESHI!" Kuwabara screeched, leaping up onto the giant's back and impaling him with his Spirit Sword. MacDonwald offered only a hiss before spinning about, sending the oaf hurling off of his back and into a nearby stone wall. Feeling a sudden sting from the arm holding the spirit detective, he notice a thorny whip was now wrapped about it. He followed with his eyes down to the kitsune yanking on the end of it.

Dropping Urameshi to the ground, he allowed Kurama to pull him down towards him, raising his foot and attempting to stomp the red head to death. Kurama rolled left and right to avoid the attacks, tossing several seeds at the mammoth. Suddenly they erupted, flowers and roots shooting this way and that in a bloody mess as MacDonwald moved away, howling as he clawed at the plants with his gargantuan hands.

Seizing the opportunity, Yusuke leapt up at him and landed on his chest, dealing him blow after blow to the face with his fists. Large hands moved to grab him, but he ducked and jumped around them to deliver a firm kick to MacDonwald's jaw.

-------------------------------------------------

"This is working out better than I had thought it would. The boys are proving to be more than a match for Killian." Prince Koenma said happily, leaning back in his seat and looking to Botan who offered a smile back. Her eyes traveled to Hiei, who was glued to the fight on the screen in front of them. He was leaned against the massive desk with his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed fine enough for a moment, but that's when Botan spotted it.

A crack in the façade. A breach in the stone wall that was Hiei's stoic mask. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, slowly turning into a full fledged snarl as his hands clenched into fists, gripping at his black cloak.

Suddenly what was happening in front of her become more interesting that the fight on screen. For the first time in her life, she saw Hiei for what he truly was. Not some sort of monster. Not some sort of chivalric and fearless warlord. Not some emotionless snob.

But a man. A man who was watching members of his current family hurt a member of the family that he had once belonged to. And he had told them how to find him.

"Any surprises we should look for, Hiei?" The young prince asked, forcing Botan to wake up a bit. The koorime's eyes remained glued to the screen as Kurama pulled MacDonwald onto his knees using a vine wrapped about the man's neck.

"…..No." He answered darkly as Yusuke stood on the fallen MacDonwald's chest, aiming his spirit gun at his face, "Tell the detective to have the Scotsman call the number." He spoke quietly, closing his eyes. It was inevitable now. Oh, the fates have a twisted sense of humor.

Koenma gave a curious look before pressing a button on his desk, the communicator in Kuwabara's pocket suddenly ringing. Quickly, the carrot top whipped it out and flicked it open.

"Yeah, Koenma? We got the punk right where you said to get him!"

"Very good, Kuwabara. Instruct him to call _the number_."

"Huh? Oh.. Alright." Kuwabara said, looking to the fallen warrior, "Hey! Uhh.. McDonalds! Call the magic number!" He said, Koenma sweatdropping back in his office.

"….A……Aye……." The beaten Scotsman murmured, fumbling about weakly in his kilt pocket and remove a device which looked almost exactly like the Spirit Detectives' communicators. Flicking it open, he pressed a large black button in the center, the screen suddenly flashing onto to a shadow sitting in a chair.

"Yes, Killian….." The suave and deep voice suddenly trailed off upon noticing the blood covered face of the giant, "…. Spirit World?" He questioned darkly. MacDonwald only nodded.

"F-Forgive me, Junyo…. I…..I……" He began to answer, only to have Yusuke snatch away the device.

"Alright, asshole. Who am I talkin' to here?" He questioned, glaring into the screen of the communicator. Back in Rekai, Botan noticed Hiei's face pale a bit.

"You, Yusuke Urameshi, Spirit Detective of the Spirit World, may call me Junyo." The man spoke, folding his hands over one another, "I trust you realize that you have just assaulted a beloved member of my kin?"

"Yeah. See, I wanted to have a little chat with you. Maybe meet up for a date somewhere? And not that speed dating shit, I want to really get to know you so that I can figure out what the best way is to make you cry." Yusuke answered, shouting into the compact.

"Nothing would please me more. I will meet you tomorrow evening at….." The voice trailed off, as if in thought, "The Buena Vista back in your hometown. I understand the linguini is to die for."

Yusuke growled, almost crushing the small silver device in his hands, "It's a date."

"Phenomenal." He said, sounding as if he were sincerely excited, "And if it's not too much trouble, could you bring Hiei along with you? I'm afraid I've grown to miss his company over the years, and seeing him again would truly make it a spectacular night."

Yusuke frowned in thought, suddenly interrupted by Hiei's voice over Kuwabara's communicator.

"I'll be there, Detective." It spoke. Yusuke frowned deeper.

"Yeah, he'll be there too."

"Excellent. I'll see you two tomorrow night if you're still alive." The shadow finished and with that the communicator shut off.

"Laddy…. You're dead." Macdonwald suddenly spoke as the device began beeping quickly.

"What the hell?!" Exclaimed Kuwabara.

"Yusuke! It's a bomb!" Kurama exclaimed over MacDonwald's laughter.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" Koenma shrieked as the three broke into a mad dash for the door, bounding through the halls and down the stairs.

"Almost…." Yusuke breathed, leaping through the doorway to the castle just as the bomb detonated several floors up where they had fought the Scotsman. Rubble fell all about as the detectives moved a safe distance away from the collapsing fortress, watching as it slowly fell into the sea.

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**Alright.**** That's it for now. Leave a review or a flame, will ****ya****? And if you have questions, I'll be sure to answer them.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Last Supper Part I

**Disclaimer: **Hey! I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its characters! However, pretty soon I will finally be the owner of an Xbox 360! I'm so amped. Gears of War and Assassin's Creed, you will be MINE!

**A/N: **Heyyooooo, long time no update! I've been spending most of my time on my other fic seeing as how I've been in this weird Western Mood for a long ass time now. All I can watch is Clint Eastwood! I can think about is The Good, The Bad and the Ugly! It's ridiculous!

Seeing as how you probably don't care(I wouldn't), I'll go ahead and give you the next chapter. SHIZAM!

**Chapter 4**

"Congratulations on a job well done, boys!" Botan exclaimed happily, giving a big thumbs up to Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara. They all now stood in Koenma's office, the three of them looking dirtied and torn. Kurama offered a small smile while Yusuke and Kuwabara grinned.

"Thanks, Botan!" The carrot top shouted excitedly, practically jumping up and down, "Urameshi, did you see it when I uppercutted him?! It was so nasty, I think I heard a bone snap!" He boasted, punching the air in front of him. Yusuke scoffed, examining his knuckles as if there was something written on them before giving them a blow.

"Eh, I didn't notice. I was too busy winning the fight for us." He answered, goading the other. Mission success.

"What the hell?! Did you completely MISS IT when I stabbed him?!" Kuwabara shouted, holding out his arms in dismay. The Spirit Detective smirked.

"Nah. Last I saw you were hiding in the corner sucking your thumb."

"Oh that's real funny, Urameshi. Getting jealous just cuz I was such a big part of our…"

"Of our what? All you did was get in the way!"

"Bullshit! I kicked ass!"

"That's quite enough, you two." Koenma spoke up from behind his desk, sucking on his binky contently, "You're all free to go. Yusuke, be sure that you and Hiei don't miss that meeting. I'll have some of the Spirit Defense Force there undercover just in case something should go wrong."

"Yea, yea... I'll be there." Yusuke answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing at Hiei. The fire demon had been silent as the grave ever since they got back from the mission. At this particular moment, he was brooding away from the group, his back leaned up against the far side of Koenma's desk and his muscular arms crossed firmly over his chest. His eyes were fixed ahead, focused on what seemed like nothing.

"Yo, Hiei," Yusuke said loudly, hoping to get the koorime's attention. Hiei glanced his way, his face blank, "You still coming?"

A frown tugged at the corner of Hiei's lips, but he managed to repress it. He gave a curt nod before kicking off of the desk and moving towards the exit. Kuwabara was busy trying to convince Kurama and Koenma that he had, in fact, not been hiding in the corner, leaving only the detective and Botan to watch the shortest member of their team leave. He didn't show it physically, but you could just tell from the air about him that something was off. Yusuke frowned, looking at Botan and opening his mouth to speak.

"I'll go." She said, beating him to the punch. Raising an eyebrow in question, Yusuke regarded her critically for a moment.

"You sure?"

"Mhmm." She answered, giving an earnest mod and a small smile to go with it. The detective responded with one of his own before turning to face the others, the ferry girl slipping from the room after the swordsman. Almost right after leaving the room, she immediately began berating herself.

_What are you doing, __Botan__? Yusuke would be much better to keep an eye on __Hiei__Hiei__ actually respects him! _She argued in her head, though it failed to stop her from moving after the retreating black form down the hall ahead of her. She had forgotten how fast he was. Summoning her oar and mounting it quickly, she sped off after him, almost knocking down several Ogres as she flew.

"Sorry! Excuse me!" She shouted at each one in passing as they gave angry glares and roars.

"Hiei!" She yelled, causing the demon to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder.

_Damnit_Was all he thought as she came to a halt next to him, levitating just above the ground on her strip of wood. He remained silent, waiting impatiently for her to say whatever the hell she wanted to say. She thought for a moment before speaking, choosing her words carefully. Why did she feel like this would be similar to walking on broken glass?

"Hiei, I…. well…" She trailed off. Hiei's brow began to twitch, his patience being tested. He began to tap his foot, indicating to hurry up.

"Would you like grab a cup of coffee?" She asked quickly, shocking herself. She shrunk back slightly, preparing to receive yells and death threats of varying shapes and sizes. However, as usual, Hiei never ceased to surprise her.

"Hn. I have a better idea."

--------------------------------

And that was how it happened. That was how Botan, Spirit World's top Ferry Girl and Guide of the River Styx, ended up seated upon a stool at a bar next to Hiei Jaganshi, a master swordsman and fire demon renowned for his ruthlessness and malice. Needless to say, it was quite the site. Even Hiei didn't understand just why in the hell he had allowed the woman to come with him. Whatever, he had witnessed weirder happenings.

"So… Hiei…." Botan began, poking her index fingers together uncomfortably, desperately trying to think of a conversation starter. Hiei made no attempt to aid her efforts, throwing back a shot of whiskey and frowning as he motioned to the barkeep for more.

"Human alcohol is truly pathetic." He said dryly, watching as his glass was filled to the brim once again. This would be number 34 for him, and if it weren't for the murderous glares he kept sending the bar tender's way he would have certainly been cut off.

Botan stifled a giggle.

"You frequent these kinds of places?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Hiei snorted, draining the liquid yet again.

"Hn. As usual, you're incorrect, onna." He answered coolly. Botan frowned.

"I DO have a name, you know." She said, crossing her arms and leaning forward, "Botan.

B-O-T-A-N." She spelled out for him, laughing a little. He gave another snort and threw back some more of the booze.

"Tell me, onna," He started. Botan rolled her eyes. It seemed she would never hear him use her name. Wait, was that a bad thing? "Have you ever had any booze from the Demon World?" He questioned, his face expressionless as he looked at her. She put her finger to her chin in thought, suddenly blushing and looking about.

"Well, if you promise not to tell anybody…" She trailed off, causing the swordsman to raise an eyebrow, "There was a little party that all the ferry girls had a few years ago and…." She paused, thinking of how to put it. Hiei just nodded and gave a smirk.

"And you couldn't hold any of it could you?" He stated more than asked. Botan blushed, her hands fumbling over eachother, "Hn. Your secret's safe with me." He said, taking another shot. Botan smiled. Sure the location wasn't the nicest, but this was the first time that her and Hiei had actually had a real conversation. No threats, no shouting… it was nice.

"I trust that you have drank it too?" She asked, scooting a littler closer to him. He eyed the drink in his hands, watching the liquid swirl as he moved the glass about in a small circle.

"Once or twice." He said, throwing it back. Botan giggled.

"Once or twice? From seeing how well you're doing after having as much as you have here, I'm thinking about giving your name to alcoholic's anonymous." She joked. That was the first time she ever heard Hiei laugh. Well, it wasn't really a laugh. More like a grunt. But she liked to think of it as a laugh.

"…..MacDonwald…. the Scotsman from the mission…. He could hold his gin like no other." Hiei answered. The booze must have been finally getting to him, he rationalized. Botan rested her chin in her hands on the table as she watched him speak.

"Hn. The idiot almost died of alcohol poisoning five times." He said, eyeing his next drink, "….not that it matters now…" He trailed off, throwing it back. Botan gave a sad smile.

"You… were friends." She said, not sure of what words to use. Hiei frowned and gave a nod, motioning for another drink. The barkeep was about to protest, but Hiei's evil glare shut him up quick as he poured another glass for the fire demon.

"… you did what you had to." Botan said, trying to console him. He resisted the urge to gag himself, instead throwing back more of the whiskey, "…innocent people's lives are on the line. You did what you had to."

Hiei didn't answer, but instead bit his cheek. The death of Ronin was not nearly as difficult to deal with as MacDonwald's. He had not known the samurai during his service in the various Makai Wars. He had not known he was even a member of Ookami until just before his death. MacDonwald, though he was not a TRUE member of the clan(he was more of a contact), he was a member of the unique, and somewhat twisted, family that was the terrorist unit. The fire demon had always respected the juggernaut, even if he was a hooligan.

His betrayal was a declaration of war against Ookami and a violation of his code. Technically, according to the clan tenants, the only way to avoid certain death at the hands of the unit was to take the place of the one you murdered. It was a somewhat sick system. No doubt that was why Junyo had wanted him to come with the detective to their meeting.

"For what it's worth…" Botan spoke, bringing him back to reality. All the booze in the world couldn't have gotten him ready for what happened next, "I'm proud of you." She said, suddenly leaning in and giving him a light kiss on the cheek. He froze as she pulled back, questioning herself until he recollected his thoughts. Taking another shot, he acted as though nothing had happened.

"Hn. Whatever." He murmured, leaping down from the seat and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his cloak as Botan joined him.

"So where to?" She asked, holding her hands together as they walked from the bar. Hiei looked about once they were on the sidewalk, cars flying passed the two of them.

"I'm going to train." He answered stoically, stepping forward. Botan's mouth formed an "o" as she cast her gaze downward slightly.

"Onna," Hiei spoke, causing her to look up. He paused for a moment.

"I'm grateful." He said before flitting away into the air, leaving Botan standing for a moment in surprise before she summoned her oar. Hiei Jaganshi never thanked anyone… if that could be called a thank you.

---------------------------------

"You ready to do this?" The Spirit Detective asked, cracking his knuckles as he and Hiei walked towards the restaurant. Unfortunately, they had never set up an exact time for this meeting, so all the two of them could do was show up and wait for the terrorist to find them.

"Hn. Mind yourself, detective." The koorime answered, looking about. It was an outdoor restaurant with many tables set up on a sort of patio. They approached the receptionist.

"Hey, uhh… has anyone come here yet… with a beard?" Yusuke asked, realizing that he sounded like an idiot. Hiei cast him a sideways glare. The detective had no idea what Junyo looked like. Luckily for them, the receptionist actually picked up on who they were looking for.

"Oh, yes. Short man with spiky hair and dimwit teen…" He said, grabbing some menus from his stand. Yusuke growled, about to shout as Hiei gave him a small smirk. In his pockets, his fists were clenched tightly. He had been... dreading this? No. He dreaded nothing.

"Right this way, sirs." The man said, leading them around several tables to one off to the left. Unlike the others, this one did not have an umbrella on it. Yusuke and Hiei slowed suddenly upon seeing two men seated. The spirit detective cast a look the fire demon's way before they moved around a took a seat.

The first man that was sitting down Yusuke had never seen or heard of in his life. He looked young, no older than the detective, his messy brown hair and hazel eyes. His skin was tan and his form lean and rippling with muscles. He was clad in a sort of leather looking armor that was dark green in color, with several tan pads and pauldrons on it. Over his back was draped a dirty looking green cloak, and on his hands a pair of gauntlets.

The other Yusuke recognized as Junyo. His hair was short a trimmed neatly, along with his sandy goatee that matched in color. He too was lean, but his face bore several wrinkles from age and battle. He wore a nice, black coat and underneath it a dark crimson shirt. On his nose was fixed a pair of small sunglasses. As the two sat down, he couldn't help but smile.

"At last you've arrived. We were beginning to think you were going to stand us up." He joked, his voice deep and smooth like velvet. Everything about the man seemed collected, the air around him gave off the firm impression that he was in full control. Reaching across the table, he extended his hand to Yusuke.

"Junyo." He said, his smile never fading. Yusuke frowned, taking his hand.

"It's a pleasure. Yusuke." He said, eyeing the terrorist leader suspiciously as they pulled back.

"No, believe me. The pleasure is all on this side of the table." Junyo assured him. This bastard was so relaxed and laid back. You'd think that they were about to talk football or something!

His eyes moved over to Hiei and came to rest as his smile grew even wider.

"And you, you son of a bitch." He laughed, reaching across for his hand as well. Hiei's façade didn't crack once as he took his hand, "It's been far too long. You couldn't even call once, could you?"

"Hn…" Hiei murmured, fighting the smirk that wanted to emerge on his face.

"I see that the operation was a success." Junyo stated, pointing to the headband around Hiei's head, "Mind if I take a look?"

Hiei shook his head, removing the white bandana and revealing the third eye that lay rested upon his forehead. It cracked open slightly, locking on Junyo and the man next to him.

"Remarkable… so I take it you found her?" The suave terrorist asked, leaning in slightly. Hiei was surprised that he hadn't been impaled yet by the renegade. A little confused, he offered a nod and a small smirk. Junyo's smile bulged, showing off his fangs as he leaned back, clasping his hand on his comrade's shoulder.

"That's great. You hear that, Kelnor?" He said, looking to the boy beside him, who was beaming from ear to ear.

"Shit, Hiei. Thanks for saying hi, ya bastard!" He laughed. His voice was just a little higher than Yusuke's and had a melodic tenor ring to it. He took a swig of the beer than he had ordered before he suddenly burst out into song.

"Oh, not teeth, nor claw, nor sword of steel…" He kept going. Yusuke fought the urge to let his jaw drop. What the hell was going on here?! They were supposed to be yelling, cursing, threatening… anything other than this! These people were insane!

"Will keep at bay our iron will…. Ah, come on, Hiei! Ya know you want to!" Kelnor shouted, laughing aloud as he kept going. Hiei's smirk remained in place.

"Hn. I'm afraid I've forgotten the second verse." He said, leaning back a little. This was hardly how he had thought this confrontation would go.

"Eh, bullshit. We sang it almost every night!" The boy laughed, "But then again, we'd both be shitfaced." He finished, watching as a waiter set down an order of appetizers for them.

"Ooooh, Mozzarella sticks!" He whispered to himself, grabbing one and tossing it in his mouth, chewing vigorously. Junyo smiled, leaning forward a bit and resting his elbows on the table.

"Judging from that look, detective, you'd like to get down to business." He said, still smirking. Yusuke gave a small grin.

"Heh, nah. I'm all for procrastinating. I'm just not used to singing with the guys I'll most likely have to kick the shit out of." He said, kicking his feet up, his cocky look never fading. Kelnor laughed, some chunks of food flying from his mouth.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun." Junyo said, raising his cup of water to the detective and looking to Hiei, "Especially when it's a reunion between old friends."

Hiei gave a nod.

"…. What are you doing with the Soeki?" He asked suddenly, his voice devoid of any emotion. Junyo chuckled, but Hiei wouldn't have it.

"You've never accepted jobs against Spirit World before. And yet now you have."

"Yeah, well why are you in bed with the pigs?" Kelnor interrupted, leaning forward. Junyo held out a hand and pushed him back lightly, "No. I want to know. The pay must be great after what he did to Ronin and MacDonwald."

Hiei frowned, straightening himself as his hand came to rest on the hilt of his katana.

"A difference of opinion, Kelnor." Junyo answered, still perfectly relaxed, "Let's not be close minded bigots. That would make us no better than Enma."

Yusuke sat up, frowning.

"And what's your deal with Enma? Why steal the bug from him?" He asked, causing Junyo to chuckle for a moment as a waiter brought them plates of food, setting one before each of them.

"Thank you." The terrorist offered to the waiter before looking back at the Detective, "I want you to do something for me, Yusuke."

Yusuke and Hiei frowned as Kelnor continued to stuff his face. The fire demon already knew where this was going. He had received the speech on day one. How would it feel to hear it again, so many years later?"

"I want you to imagine something for me." Junyo said, speaking more quietly now and leaning in towards the Detective, "I want you to imagine that you are a Demon. An honest, hard working demon… like Hiei here. You laugh, you cry, you love just as all other living things do. However…"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "However?"

"You are demon. Despite the fact that your parents were kind and loving, you, they, and the rest of your kin are cursed. Branded. Marked. Imagine being born in hell…. And being told that you can never get out."

"You're young, Yusuke, so you probably have yet to be taught the epic history of the three worlds. I'll save you a long lecture and skip straight to the important facts. You see, in the beginning there were two worlds." Junyo explained, holding up his right and left hand.

"First, there was the Spirit World. This was the dwelling place of Enma and the rest of his _divine_ ilk. From this paradise they ruled over all, the living and the dead. The ferry girls, or angels, or whatever you would prefer to call them bustled about busily collecting souls and transporting them back to this place."

"Then, there was this second realm. This was called the Realm of the Living. In this place lived the very first demons. A proud race. An honorable race. They were the epitome of Chivalry. The bastion of what one should strive to be. Kingdoms were set up, much like in your world, yet each cooperated and worked together for the betterment of all. It truly was an Eden. No strife. No war. And for a time, all was perfect."

Junyo leaned forward, smiling sadly.

"But then, as in every story, along came a spider. Enma, the all knowing and divine, decided in his infinite wisdom to create the first humans. You know these two as Adam and Eve. They bred and created a new race, which for a time managed to coexist with the Demons. Our ancestors kept yours safe from the beasts that roamed the wild, allowing their population to grow and their culture to boom. But in time… it wasn't enough. As with all humans, they wanted more. More land. More handouts. More rations of food."

"The Demons were proud. They would not be bullied by those who could not wield a sword half as well as their noble race. In a move of true greed and stupidity, after having been denied, attacked. This began a war that shook the living realm for one hundred years."

"It's embarrassing. As powerful as the Demons were, they still had trouble hunting down and exterminating the last of the wretched humans. Of course, eventually they did find the last village and a massive raid ensued. The land was about to be cleansed, and victory was near when…." Junyo stopped, look at Yusuke with a smile.

"Well? Finish!" The detective shouted, leaning forward. The terrorist smiled like a grandfather telling his grandson a fairytale.

"Enma, once again using his never ending _brilliance_, decided that the humans were severely outmatched. We were stronger, faster, smarter than they could ever be. But the humans had started the war! They were the ones who put things into motion! But no. Enma would not have it. He decreed that a new world was to be made, the Demon World, where we would be moved to. Some fought back. The Ogres, brave and valiant, resisted the most out of the demons. Yet even they fell to Enma's armies, and in the end were enslaved by him. The rest of the demons fled to this new world, seeking to avoid the massacre taking place in the now Human World."

"We were forced into hell. Born into a prison that we were told that we could not escape. But no longer." Junyo said, leaning back and eating a forkful of pasta.

"The rivers of this world will flow with blood. The time of the Human is over. The time of the Demon has begun."

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**A/N: **Auuggghh. It's like midnight. I'm soooooo tired. As I get my beauty sleep, feel free to drop off a review. Take it easy, kids.


	5. Chapter 5: The Last Supper Part II

**DISCLAIMER: **I DO NOT OWN YU YU HAKUSHO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

**A/N: I'm back from the dead! As always, sorry for not updating, yada yada yada… I'd say I'll try to do better, but we all know I won't. I suppose just keep the fingers crossed that I'll stop forgetting. And so, without further ado… the story.**

**CHAPTER 5**

_**Last time….**_

"_We were forced into hell. Born into a prison that we were told that we could not escape. But no longer." Junyo said, leaning back and eating a forkful of pasta._

"_The rivers of this world will flow with blood. The time of the Human is over. The time of the Demon has begun."_

_**Present…**_

Yusuke sat in silence, leaning forward in his seat with his eyes wide as he stared at Junyo, who remained quite relaxed and very much in control. Hiei cursed mentally. He should have planned on this. The detective was not ready to so much as be within a mile of Junyo yet, let alone have a conversation with him. The aged assassin knew the some of the darkest secrets that the Three Worlds had to offer.

"No worries, Urameshi. You're takin' it better than I did." Kelnor spoke up, chewing on a mozzarella stick and looking to Junyo as he stifled a laugh, "I think I shit myself a little when you told me."

Junyo gave a small smile and continued to watch the detective.

"It's hard to think that, after everything Koenma has told you, humanity **isn't** the victim that you've always thought it to be, isn't it?" He asked, his voice understanding and calm, like a father addressing his son, "We're simply taking back our home, Yusuke."

Yusuke's lips moved a bit before he finally managed to regain some composure, though he still was visibly shaken.

"Y-you're lying." He accused, glaring at the terrorist seated across from him. Junyo responded by sadly shaking his head.

"Your God will not tell you the truth, so I will. I know how much blood you've spilt for the Spirit World. Personal honor will not permit me to allow them to keep you in the dark." He answered. Hiei's hand tightened around the hilt of his blade. When cornered, Yusuke tended to resort to stupid things. While he had been lucky in the past, such tactics would not work here.

"You're just like the rest of the demons." The detective stated, regaining more and more of his usual demeanor, "Looking for an excuse to justify your hatred of humans. Well guess what buddy, this is my turf and I'm keeping it demon free."



Yusuke smirked and gave a thumbs up as he kicked his feet back up onto the table, grabbing his fork and sticking it into Junyo's pasta before taking a bite. The assassin simply watched, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"You can believe whatever you want to, Yusuke." He said, glancing to Hiei then, "But do you believe that your friend Hiei here could be motivated to kill over a hundred humans by a mere lie?"

Yusuke's eyes widened again as he looked to Hiei. The fire demon remained stoic and simply blinked, locking gazes with the spirit detective.

"Hiei, you… you didn't….."

"Would you prefer a lie or the truth?" Hiei answered, his tone cold as he looked back to his former master, "However, times change."

"So they do." Junyo nodded, closing his eyes solemnly before exhaling and looking between the two of them. Yusuke still seemed to be regarding Hiei strangely, just as he had planned.

"Here's what I need for the two of you to do. Return to Rekai and tell Prince Koenma that his father is to remove all humans from this world. Where they are relocated to, I do not care. If he does not comply within 72 hours I will be releasing the Soeki parasites into the human population to do the job more forcefully."

Yusuke stood up abruptly.

"But you only have one! And I thought you sold it off?!" He exclaimed, his hands balling into fists. Kelnor laughed.

"It's standard procedure to say it was sold. Glad to see at least Ronin can do his job." He finished, glancing at Hiei accusingly on the end.

"The Soeki have entered mass production. This is what your bible calls _Armageddon_, detective. I would prefer to not have to exterminate your race, but if my hand is forced then I will." Junyo stated, slowly standing up as well and straightening himself out to an impressive height. He scooped down then and picked up a black walking stick with a diamond on the top, holding it loosely.

"By the way, Yusuke, you really should try to better resist your appetite." He added, giving a small smirk, "I'm afraid that my pasta was actually coated with Soeki eggs. They're very small and hard to see, I'm afraid. And it doesn't help that they resemble various types of seasoning."

Yusuke's hands immediately went to his stomach and his face turned green.

"I had already digested the cure for the Soeki before enjoying my meal, therefore the eggs will not hatch in my digestive system. You, however, will not enjoy the same luxury." He chuckled, adjusting his spectacles. His expression did not falter as he felt Hiei's katana touch against his neck. Hiei seemed calm as well despite the touch of Kelnor's daggers upon his spine.



"Cure him. Now." The fire demon ordered, earning a small smile from his teacher.

"Your loyalty always did inspire me, Hiei. But honestly, how long before you betray this one as well?"

"Your mind tricks won't work on me, Junyo." Hiei snarled, the sword tip drawing blood.

"I'm well aware of that, Hiei. However, a good magician never has just one kind of trick." Junyo answered, suddenly winking at Hiei, flinging him backwards through the air and causing his body to smash through their table. Nearby observers shrieked and fled the scene, scurrying about frantically.

"Asshole!" Yusuke shouted, diving forward and swinging at Junyo's head. The assassin parried effortlessly with his walking stick before sidestepping and swatting Yusuke across the face, sending him to the ground next to Hiei.

"Now go and deliver that message so I don't have to kill everyone you've ever known, detective." Junyo spoke before turning on his heel, Kelnor following suite behind him.

"Junyo!" Hiei roared, climbing to his feet and gripping his katana tightly. His former master raised an eyebrow before frowning.

"You killed my kin. Now I've killed yours. Consider us even."

And they were gone. Hiei looked quickly to Yusuke, pulling him to his feet and examining him.

"I'm fucked?" The spirit detective asked, giving a weak smile. The fire demon growled.

"We need to get you to Spirit World. Now."

--

"No!" Kuwabara exclaimed, slamming a fist into the wall. The group was currently assembled in Spirit World's medical facilities, waiting outside of the operating room. Yusuke had been taken in immediately for an operation in hopes of removing the eggs from his body before they hatched. Since then they had been waiting for well over three hours, praying for a miracle.

"No! Dammit! This is bull!" The carrot top continued, storming up to a chair and punching it clear in two. Kurama approached from behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him.

"This won't help Yusuke recover, Kuwabara. The best thing you can do for him now is to just be patient."

"To hell with that! That's my friend in there! I have to see him!" He bellowed back, pointing angrily at the doors leading to the ER.

"Shut up, oaf." Hiei ordered from the corner in which he sat brooding with his arms crossed.

"To hell with you, Hiei! Maybe you don't care, but the rest of us do! You were the one who let him eat the eggs in the first place! It's your damn fault! You're not even sorry, are you--"



The room went cold as Hiei's iron grip suddenly closed around Kuwabara's throat, slowly crushing the air from his windpipes and causing him to gasp out.

"Hiei!" Kurama and Koenma both exclaimed, stepping forward. The fire demon's expression remained a stone wall, though his crimson gaze flickered dangerously.

"This is not about you." He stated coldly, his hold continuing to tighten, "Nor is it about me. It is about the detective. If you cannot sit quietly like a good human dog and wait then I will gladly cut out your tongue."

"Hiei, let him go!" Koenma ordered, a bead of sweat running down his brow. The fire demon snorted and dropped Kuwabara to his knees, looking down at him in disgust.

"I can't stomach the sight of you." He scoffed, stepping around him and heading for the exit. He stopped only when he felt a pair of delicate hands wrap themselves around his clenched fist that hung at his side.

"Don't go." Botan pleaded, looking into his eyes as she held him there loosely. Had he wanted to, he could have effortlessly flung her from him and went on his way. He could return to check on the detective when the idiot wasn't present.

But he didn't. Instead he just nodded and the two sat down. He eventually decided that it had to have been his loyalty towards the detective that had kept him in the room. Perhaps he was experiencing, to a far lesser extent, Kuwabara's current emotion, the desire to be the first one to see that he was safe and well. But he was unable to explain the strange sensation in his chest as he just sat there, blankly staring at the floor as Botan held onto his hand.

It was obvious that she was a wreck. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her nose was as red as his eyes. Crying females had always made him feel uncomfortable.

"Should we notify Keiko and his mother?" Kurama questioned, helping Kuwabara to his feet. Koenma frowned as he sucked his binky mercilessly, shaking his head in response.

"It would only create more panic. Until we know more, we should wait." He answered, closing his eyes grimly and sitting back down.

"I'll be here til he gets out." Kuwabara voiced, sitting down as well while casting a glare in Hiei's direction, though it went unnoticed.

--

"_No, no, no…. you're overstepping. In a legitimate fight you'll lose your balance." Junyo spoke, correcting Hiei while giving the mentioned leg a light smack with his sword. Hiei nodded and stepped back, entering a stance once more before coming forward again and making a quick horizontal slash with his own katana, then halting mid way and spinning about in the opposite direction before delivering a vertical slice._

"_I think I see the problem." Junyo voiced, stepping forward, "Show me your stance again."_

_Hiei did as instructed._

"_There. You see, you need to counterbalance the blade first…. Yes… now quick slash. Retract. Well done." Junyo spoke as he observed Hiei's movements. _

"_Good… Good. The more comfortable you become with these basic movements the faster you'll be able to execute them. If you utilize your speed efficiently no one will be able to touch you." He observed, running a hand over his goatee. _

"_So I should work to become faster." Hiei stated, earning a nod. _

"_Yes. You must become a __**flying shadow**__." _

--

The waiting room was dark, the only illumination provided coming from the faint blue lights overhead. Hiei's crimson gaze scanned the room slowly as his eyes creaked open, taking in his surroundings.

It seemed that everyone had dozed off while waiting. Kuwabara was sprawled out on the floor while Kurama sat reclined in his chair, his face bearing a peaceful expression. Koenma played with his binky as he slept, his brows twitching slightly. When his eyes came to the woman beside him, he almost jumped.

She was not asleep, but was watching him with her watery gaze as her thumb lightly stroked against his palm.

"I can't sleep." She offered weakly, forcing a smile.

"Hn." Hiei snorted, closing his eyes again, "If you don't want to, then don't."

Understanding, she allowed her fake smile to fall from her lips. Her face suddenly burrowed itself into the side of his chest as she sobbed quietly. Hiei snarled to himself as he looked down at her shaking form, then to the others in the room. They were all still out cold.

Even he was surprised when one of his bandaged hands wrapped itself around the ferry girl's back and held her there, gently rubbing her shoulder as his cloak began to grow wet from her tears.

"It's fine." He spoke quietly into her ear, "He's fine. You're fine."

She nodded against him but did not come up, her shaking beginning to lessen.

"Sleep, woman. If there's news I'll wake you." He commanded then, looking back down at her sternly. She made to shake her head, but before she even knew what was happening his hand had already struck her lightly on the back of her neck, knocking her from consciousness.

Hiei gingerly took her and leaned her back in her chair, careful as not to let her fall. After taking a moment to wipe away a stray tear, he returned to his own seat, his arms crossing over his chest.

He would have to kill his master.


End file.
